


Preparations

by bluesargayent



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Olympics, F/M, Winter Olympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 15:19:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13638897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesargayent/pseuds/bluesargayent
Summary: Emperor Kai, busy making sure Olympic preparations are going well for New Beijing and the Eastern Commonwealth as a whole, pays a visit to the in-construction stadium, where he meets Cinder, the lighting technician.





	Preparations

**Author's Note:**

> I saw the Pyeongchang Opening Ceremony last night and was inspired to think up so Olympic AUs! Obviously, this takes place before the Olympics actually happen, and the Opening Ceremony is vaguely based on the one from last night. Enjoy!

Of course, the Winter Olympics were being held in New Beijing. Of course. The decision had been made long before Kai had become Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, long before tensions flared between them and the Lunar Colonies, and definitely long before the plague had come and only somewhat gone. Kai was giving himself an aneurysm trying to deal with the costs that came with hosting these games.

Thankfully, he had Miss Iko to plan the event. A real lifesaver, she came with ideas and the sheer force of will to pull together the most important part of the entire games: the Opening Ceremony. How a country will be represented to the entire world (and its satellite nations). She had pulled together a team and was already well on her way to putting on a breath-taking show.  
Kai made himself open to consultation, so he could only blame himself when he was requested at the half-built stadium.

Iko met him at the back entryway, excited to give him a preview of what to expect during its completion. Her excitement for the opening ceremony sometimes leaked into her tour, so he was able to hear all about how they would play out the ancient histories of the different nations of the Eastern Commonwealth and the struggle it took to finally unite as a single continent. Unity, as well as peace, were large themes in this presentation.

As they walked up the stairs to a new level, Iko explained the role that five lucky children, found from all over the Commonwealth, would have in this show chock-full of imagery. They were even trying to find a child well enough who had recovered from the plague. They would represent the Eastern Commonwealth as it is now, and the hope for its future. 

Of course, this led to a description of the light displays throughout the stadium, which then led to a small detour in one of the side rooms. Iko poked her head in before motioning for Kai to enter.  
He walked in, surprising CInder who was busy banging a remote control against the table. Kai blinked in surprise and Cinder looked up. 

“Should you be doing that?” he asked.

Cinder looked from him to Iko outside the doorway, before looking back and shrugging. “You’d be surprised how often that works.”

“Cinder,” Iko interrupted, “do you mind showing Kai the simulation effect?”

“Of course.” She grabbed a box of wires and tools off a metal folding chair and set it on the ground, motioning for Kai to sit. He complied, a little unnerved by the whole situation.

Cinder leaned over him to wrap a padded set of wires around the back of the chair. She did something to secure it, before pulling a cord out and wrapping it across the back of his neck. She moved her free hand to the back of his neck and pushed up the tips of his hair. Her fingertips brushed his skin and he shivered at the cold metal without meaning to. She froze and his eyes shot up to meet hers. She drew her hand back, allowing Kai to notice the detailed metal prosthetic.

“Are you okay?” She asked, concerned.

“Yeah, sorry. Keep going.”

“Okay.” She went back to adjusting the cords. “In the stadium, these’ll all be incorporated into the seats already, so we won’t need to do this.”

“All the seats?”

“Just the bottom section. That’ll be enough to cover almost the entire stadium.”

She stood back and grabbed a control station to fiddle with.

“This is safe, right?”

“Of course,” Cinder smiled. Then she looked back over to him “What’s your favorite color?”

“Why?”

“You’ll see in a minute.”

Kai frowned. “Red.”

“O-kay.” She pressed some more buttons. She ran her fingers through her hair before turning to Kai. “Now close your eyes.”

He felt like a sitting duck, completely vulnerable, but still he closed his eyes, gripping the sides of the chair in aprehension.

“And . . . open.” Cinder breathed.

Kai looked up. He slipped from his polished composure for a moment to gasp in awe.

Above him, surrounding him, was a sea of stars. Faint red lights burst like fireworks and frameworks of crimson birds meandered the room. A snake slithered through the air in from of Kai’s face and he reached out a hand, watching as the creature seemingly passed straight through his wrist. 

“There’ll be more stars, later, I just wanted to get the animals done first since their animation is harder. And there’ll be more, obviously, enough to fill the stadium. Um, the Olympic rings will be in the middle of the stadium, but they’re taller than the room so I didn’t want to show you now.” 

She pointed out some more differences between this show and the ultimate display at the Opening Ceremony. Kai watched in wonder at the galaxy spinning around him. Cinder stood in the center of it, the red lights playing with the yellow undertones of her tan skin.

“It’s amazing.”

She looked around her, finally noticing the beauty of what she had designed. “It is, isn’t it.”

She waited a few moments before flipping the simulation off and turning on the normal fluorescent lights. “Um, I’ll let you get back to Iko, so she can show you the rest of the program.”

Kai stood and walked in front of Cinder. “Thank you for showing this to me.”

“Thank you for giving me the chance to work on this.” She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind an ear. “Most people don’t like cyborgs working on a project as important as this, so thank you.”

Kai didn’t mention he had no idea she was a cyborg when Iko recommended the technician, but he knew that wouldn’t have affected his decision, so, still dumbfounded from the display, he reassured her, “I don’t think anyone else, cyborg or not, could do anything like this.”

“Thanks. It’ll be better in a month.”

“I can’t believe it wouldn’t be.”

Kai left before he became trapped there in a cage of his own making. Iko looked up from her phone when Kai exitted. 

“Sick, right?” She said.

“Incredibly,” Kai agreed.

“Cinder, too, isn’t she? I mean, she worked so hard on it. She practically invented the holographic system herself.”

“Her too.” 

Iko led the young emperor down a couple more hallways, showing him the puppets in progress and naming guest performers. She asked his opinion on some things, and gave him options to consider in regards to other things. The ceremony was coming together nicely, even as the stadium itself was still being constructed.

“Any other comments?” Iko asked at the end of her tour.

Kai nodded. “Those kids in the beginning of the ceremony?”

“Yeah?”

“Have they been chosen yet?”

Iko shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Okay.” He paused. “Could one of them be a cyborg?”

Iko raised her eyebrow, surprised.

“Really? Are you sure that’s not too controversial?” She asked.

“I feel displaying messages of peace and unity, while not practicing those same principals, may be controversial as well.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure that happens.”

“Thank you.”

Kai was satisfied with this, but made sure to schedule a return visit to this place. Especially to check how the simulation visuals were going. For a project this size, he may even need regular check-ins. He would be looking forward to these visits.


End file.
